Father Mychal Judge: Victim 0001

"You do what God has called you to do. You get on that rig, you go out and do the job. No matter how big the call, no matter how small, you have no idea of what God is calling you to do, but God needs you. He needs me. He needs all of us. God needs us to keep supporting each other, to be kind to each other, to love each other."

Father Mychal Judge, OFM
Mass for FirefightersSeptember 10, 2001

Just one day after he preached these words at his last homily, Fr. Mychal would rush out of his rectory upon hearing that the World Trade Center had been hit by two planes in a terrorist attack. Bodies already lay in the streets around the buildings. Fr. Mychal was met by New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, who asked him to pray for the city in its most tragic hour. The mayor also reportedly urged Fr. Mychal to stay with him, but the priest insisted he needed to be with his men.

As the chaplain of the New York City firefighters, Fr. Mychal prayed over many of those who had fallen or leapt from the tower, and he entered the lobby of the World Trade Center North Tower to offer aid and prayers for the rescuers.

New York Daily News columnist Michael Daly reported that Judge, bent over victims, repeatedly prayed aloud, “Jesus, please end this right now! God, please end this!”